Religious education in Russia: a critical analysis of a widely used textbook

Religious education (RE) has been recently introduced into the Russian educational system as a compulsory regular school subject. The present study offers a critical analysis of one of the most popular Russian textbooks of RE. This critical analysis supports our earlier findings regarding the controversial character of RE in Russia. Despite the official cultorological and religious studies approach to RE, the textbook on the module of Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture is catechetical in content and approach and also serves the political indoctrination of students. The textbook enhances patriotism and turns Russian RE into a specific kind of citizenship education.